We finished our memorable cheapest lunch deal ever at Carpentras at 3 pm. Although the portions were not huge, but the 3-course meal, inclusive 25 cl glass of rosé wine gave us the energy to continue our journey to our next stop.
Correction! Our next HIGHEST stop!!!
Le Mont Ventoux
Our GPS brought us to the village at the foot of Le Mont Ventoux called Bedoin. It was about 24 km from Carpentras.
I shall never forget the driving ordeal I went through driving on the single lane (entrance = exit) narrow roads of Bedoin. It was nerve-wracking!
Correction! Hubby drove but his driving scared the bejesus out of me! He was driving down the super narrow one-lane road (photo below, left), while another car was driving out. Imagine reversing backward and upwards on the very, very steep slope surrounded by buildings at both sides ~ with no soft landing, whatsoever ~ at almost a 90-degree angle? That’s madness! I was pressing hard the floor of the car on my side as if I was braking, while gripping the arm rests ever so tightly. I was petrified! What a relief when it was all over. Phew!
Well done, hubby👍🏼
I told hubby not to use that road as it was the route used by the heroic cyclists every summer in July in the Le Tour de France cycling race.
So we diverted and took the road for vehicles ascending the limestone giant. It was a 21.5 km drive up the summit of Le Mont Ventoux.
While we were nesting comfortably in our car, my admiration went out to the cyclists who made it on their own up the hellish terrain to the summit.
By the way, these photos were a static memory of the amateur and hobby cyclists we passed by during our drive up the majestic Le Mont Ventoux anno 2016 taken from my iPhone while hubby was driving 😃
In Memory Of A Cyclist …
We stopped at a memorial of Tom Simpson, a British professional cyclist, who collapsed and died during an ascent of Le Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France .
Please google Tom Simpson’s wiki on the real cause of his death.
Planet Of The Sun Or The Wind …?
As the name might suggest, venteux (“Ventoux“) means windy. It can get pretty windy at the summit, especially with the mistral, however, the temperature that day was a lovely 30 deg C, with a slight wind. It was a nice combination.
While standing at the summit and looking down, the physical geography beneath looked like another planet. It was breathtakingly stunning!
The limestone giant aka, Le Mont Ventoux stands at 1,912 metres above the purple lavender-filled fields of Provence.
I’m not sure why the signage indicated 1 metre shy, though? Do you?
The Little Market at Le Mont Ventoux
I can now boast that I bought some bonbons at an altitude of 1,912 metres! Lol!
I also bought some fridge magnets that were exorbitantly priced! Eur 5 per piece of cheaply made magnets. Argghh!!
And a 50 cl bottle of still water had a price tag of Eur 2! That’s daylight robbery 😳
Before we left the mountain, my younger son wanted a custom minted coin of Le Mont Ventoux. He got what he wanted, but I wonder where it is now ….?!!🤔
One For The Road …
Yup, I’ve been up the Giant of Provence – my second “climb” – though not so heroically on the bicycle, but I have seen what I wanted to see in a long time 😉
The “walk” up the mountain with loads of vitamin D and the fabulous wind resulted in my sleeping so soundly that I did not realise how late we all got up the next morning.
We went back in time …
Stay tuned!
Cheers!
By the way ... 